News & Events
Young woman shows leadership with walk to Ottawa
August 12, 2009
Boozhoo! Tansi! Ho Dakota! Han Dakota!
A person doesn't have to be elected to demonstrate leadership. Tamara Malcolm is an excellent example of this and we should all get behind her in some fashion, supporting her in the incredible initiative she is demonstrating.
Tamara is a 26-year-old member of the Ebb-and-Flow First Nation who has lived in Winnipeg most of her life. She has been through the Child and Family Services system, so she knows about the issues she is drawing attention to.
She has also gone down the healing path, turning to Indigenous spirituality and culture. She has been dancing pow-wow for several years. This year, in mid-July, she was dancing at the pow-wow held as part of Peguis Treaty Days.
On Aug. 1 she will be leaving Winnipeg on her walk to Ottawa to raise awareness about the issues surrounding the child welfare system. She will be accompanied by other participants; most will be walking and others will be riding in a vehicle to provide support for the walkers. They will also be meeting with people along the way, gathering information about their experiences with Child and Family Services.
In Manitoba issues relating to Child and Family Services have often been in the news, but our situation is not unique - it is similar to other parts of Canada where there are high populations of Aboriginal people. Tamara will be gathering first-hand accounts, which can be shared with politicians and the public. She also wants to draw awareness to the deaths that have occurred with children in care.
One of Tamara's concerns relates to the difficulties mothers encounter when they try to re-unite with their children. I have heard similar concerns expressed again and again while visiting other women from First Nations.
In my view, part of the problem is that our current system is based on the philosophy of apprehend,apprehend and apprehend followed by court processes for CFS to gain custody - often permanent custody - of children.
In Manitoba, our system is still controlled by the province and based on a non-Aboriginal model of child care. Sometimes apprehension is necessary as is placement of children in a foster home, but as much as possible we should try to keep children within their families and community. Wisdom within the community should play a role in such things as moving toward re-unification of children and parents, once healing has taken place.
I sympathize with some of our CFS workers, especially those trying to break from the system's old mentality. They are overworked, operating with inadequate funding, and are in an environment that is often negative.
The consequences of having things turn out wrong when a family is given chance at re-unification are much worse than the consequences of being too harsh. Workers and agencies within the CFS system are not roasted in the pages of the Winnipeg Free Press for being overly-aggressive with apprehensions and court orders, but the reverse happens a lot of the time.
The issue that is seldom discussed in the non-Aboriginal media is the consequences of putting children in care for long periods, separating them from family and culture. These children may be safe for the time being, but long-term effects are terrible. Children who lose their sense of family and identity often encounter problems in later life ranging from addiction to suicide.
Getting back to Tamara, a person doesn't have to hold an official position to show leadership.
Several years ago a young woman at the Grassy Narrows First Nation in northwestern Ontario got upset when she saw how traditional hunting areas were disappearing. The next day she set up a blockade with one other person. Things grew rapidly as more people from Grassy joined the blockade eventually they got environmentalists from around North America to join their campaign against logging by the multi-national giant Weyerhaeuser.
California-based Rainforest Action Network contributed a lot of resources to the Big Grassy campaign, paying for speaking tours and sending Grassy Narrows representatives to Weyerhaeuser's annual meeting to appeal to shareholders.
The battle in Caledonia against development on what should be First Nations land also began with non-elected band members taking a stand, blocking development and refusing to move.
Energy, courage, determination and solid personal principles; that is all it takes to show leadership. I salute Tamara and wish her well on her campaign. She will walk from Arlington Street and Selkirk Avenue to the Manitoba Legislature on Saturday, Aug. 1, and will be departing from the Legislature after taking as much time as will be needed to meet with people who have concerns.
Anyone wishing to support Tamara and other participants in the walk can make donations to:
Tamara Malcolm Walk for Child and Family Reunification Services
c/o Southern Chiefs' Organization
225-530 Century Street
Winnipeg, MB R3H 0Y4
Pidamayepido, Ekosi, Megwetch
Grand Chief Morris J. Swan Shannacappo
Southern Chiefs' Organization
Keep the Circle Strong!